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Not everyone needs a heart rate monitor that has all the bells and whistles, most riders are just looking for a simple and affordable method of heart rate tracking while riding. That doesn’t mean there should be any sacrifice in reliability, as the cost of having to replace cheap but temperamental heart rate monitors can quickly become a false economy.
In our best heart rate monitor guide, we awarded the Polar H10 the top spot; however, for many riders who simply want an easy and accurate way to track their heart rate, it’s more than they need. Enter Polar’s H9, which has many of the great features and reliability of the top-spec model but sacrifices some functionality to bring the price down.
Design and specifications
Polar H9 features the same processor chip as the H10 and uses ECG (Electrocardiogram) technology to read heart rate. Compared to optical heart rate monitors found on smartwatches, ECG is much more accurate as it records the electrical signals in the heart. It can be connected to your head unit, turbo trainer or phone using either Bluetooth LE or ANT+ 2.1 to broadcast your data. You can only connect to a single device at a time, unlike the H10, which can be connected to two Bluetooth devices.
A simple and easily attainable CR2025 coin-shaped battery powers the H9, and Polar quotes battery life as 400 hours. The battery is sealed behind a press-fit door, and the H9 pod has a WR30 water resistance rating.
The strap itself uses a little hook for fastening that’s simple to adjust. Unlike the H10, it doesn’t feature any additional silicon dots to help keep it in place. To help customers get a better fit, Polar sells the H9 in two different strap lengths for different chest sizes: XS-S for chest measurements between 52-73mm and M-XXL between 65-107mm.
The H9 pod fits the chest mount using two poppers in the middle of the strap and can be easily disconnected when it’s time to chuck the strap in the washing machine for a wash.
Performance
I like to record my stats while riding to keep track of how things are going or looking back at performance, but I am definitely not a big…
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